Reports: Utah Jazz In Active Trade Talks Surrounding Bulls Guard Zach LaVine
Jun 20, 2024, 7:49 PM | Updated: Jun 21, 2024, 11:22 am
SALT LAKE CITY – According to Chicago Bulls Insider K.C. Johnson, the Utah Jazz are in active trade talks to acquire All-Star guard Zach LaVine.
After spending the last seven seasons in Chicago, the Bulls are reportedly aggressively shopping the star shooting guard.
The Bulls are in active trade talks with the Jazz and Sixers centered around Zach LaVine, per @KCJHoop (https://t.co/decxY00KhC).
After Chicago traded Alex Caruso, LaVine being shipped out appears imminent. pic.twitter.com/yUS75cWnGV
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 20, 2024
Philadelphia 76ers insider Kyle Neubeck came out shortly after the report from Johnson and said the Sixers were not interested in LaVine.
Are the Jazz actually in the market for the Bulls guard and how would he fit in Salt Lake City?
Utah Jazz Reportedly Interested In Trading For Zach LaVine
Just after the Utah Jazz’s 50th anniversary season came to an end, CEO Danny Ainge spoke with the media about the team’s plans going forward.
Ainge said that although team building is never straightforward, the Jazz are ready to make some win-now moves.
“I think that our objective is to find a player or two and we’re ready to roll,” Ainge said. “We’re ready to go big game hunting, and that hasn’t happened in the last two years.”
DEVELOPING: The Bulls are in active trade discussions with the Utah Jazz and the Philadelphia 76ers surrounding Zach LaVine.
Here we go. 🍿(via @KCJHoop, h/t @esidery) pic.twitter.com/3Jum9VyNAe
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 20, 2024
LaVine has fallen off the horse a bit in his last two seasons. But, he isn’t far removed from being one of the best two-guards in the association.
Regardless, he would step into Utah and immediately be a top-2 option.
Last season, LaVine averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 45.2/34.9/85.4 shooting splits.
If the Jazz are truly looking to get better from a roster standpoint in the upcoming season, LaVine is probably one of the best options on the market.
Would LaVine Fit Well In Utah?
This question isn’t as easy as whether LaVine would make the Jazz better. Adding an all-star caliber player will almost always make you better but how well does that player align with what you have going on?
Potential starting 5 if the Jazz we’re to trade for Zach Lavine:
(Mock: John & assets to Chicago) pic.twitter.com/xB9phHt8GB
— utjazznews (@utjazznews) June 21, 2024
A scoring tandem of LaVine and Lauri Markkanen is interesting, to say the least. However, LaVine doesn’t really address any of the Jazz’s shortcomings.
Utah desperately needed help with taking care of the ball and on the defensive end. LaVine brought his turnover numbers down from 2.5 to 2.1 last season but he is an average defender at best.
The next question about LaVine’s fit in Salt Lake City comes when you look at the backcourt rotation.
First, in a lot of ways, LaVine is just a better Jordan Clarkson on the court. It is still unknown what Clarkson’s future looks like but can those two coexist on the same team?
Second, Utah already said that they may try to use Keyonte George as an off-guard in the coming years so how does that work with LaVine in the same backcourt? Would Collin Sexton be shipped off in a hypothetical LaVine trade?
RELATED STORIES
Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports.
Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
